It’s difficult to categorize the cuisine at this Elizabeth Avenue fixture. With bright and fresh crudos, fan favorites such as the barbecue octopus, and season-appropriate pastas, Customshop draws much inspiration from the Mediterranean, but Southern ingredients help give the restaurant a sense of place.

This is a restaurant where you know what to expect. The menu is traditional, with appetizers and entrées served with a salad, but that doesn’t mean the dishes are basic. Chef (and co-owner with wife Sara) Greg Zanitsch takes approachable dishes and pushes just far enough to please both the adventurous and unsure. The filet mignon, for example, comes served with a polenta cake and Stilton cheese, the meat’s juices soaking into the corn-based cake and balancing the shock of the Stilton. The menu here is French in style, which means you’ll experience decadence throughout, from the always-delicious foie gras to the desserts, some of the best in town thanks to pastry chef Samantha Allen. Service has the right amount of attentiveness, and the staff’s knowledge of the hefty wine list means you can ask for pairings that will bring out the best in your meal.

Rethinking Passion8 into a place that serves dishes from chef and co-owner Luca Annunziata’s home of Italy has given the restaurant a more cohesive sense of identity. The house-made pastas are the restaurant’s biggest draw.